(See Normal Heart Image for comparison)

Click image to see download options from Flickr:

restrictive Cardiomyopathy [cardio=of the heart, myopathy=disease of the muscle or muscle tissue] the ventricles become stiff and rigid due to replacement of the normal heart muscle with abnormal tissue, such as scar tissue. As a result, the ventricles cannot relax normally. Eventually, blood flow in the heart is reduced, and complications such as heart failure or arrhythmias occur.  The heart is of normal size or only slightly enlarged.

Ya know when things just come together?

The online photo editing software that I’ve been using to label my hearts is being discontinued in April. Days after I found out, I was approached by My Memories to review their scrapbooking software.  They gave me a free copy of their software and a second copy to GIVE AWAY to one of my readers.  Here’s my initial thoughts:

1. “I wonder if I could use MyMemories Software to label my hearts….”  – Yes.  I made a template with all the labels in place, then I just load the photo under the labels. …and then my neighbors heard me squealing with delight.  See, labeling the hearts used to take an hour (picking each font and color individually and sometimes needing to go back to the heart and fix things that weren’t quite right)…now it takes 5-10 minutes.  It even let me save the colors I use most on a “favorite’s tab” so I don’t have to keep those hex numbers handy. It’s more flexible, too.  I can drag the words to fill the space I want them to fill instead of typing it out and then monkeying with the size until it’s right.  AND, if I find something I need to adjust on the heart, I pull out just the heart, fix it, and slip it back in under the labels–no need to start from scratch on the labels again.  I would’ve loved it just for that
2. “Gee, it has an awful lot of fonts and the color picker is handy.” - These two features immediately jumped out at me.  I don’t like settling for a font.  I like to get just the right one.  For picking colors, there’s a bunch of options: pick from a pallet or swatches, enter the color’s numbers, use colors from your favorites, eye-dropper pick from the image you’re working with.  I didn’t read any help files.  I just opened a blank page and started adding things.  It was easier than you’d think.  They have backgrounds and embellishments and text and photos and videos and narration–each with bunches of effects.  I was impressed with how easy it was to use.  It didn’t eat up all my time like I thought it might.
3. “My heart moms are going to love this” - first, our kids are super cute and strong but few people get to see them because we’re so wary of germs.  Second, we love keeping track of every little milestone…but there’s just no time for real scrap booking….only time to feel guilty for not doing it. Third, we’re stuck inside during RSV season–hello, coloring pages for the kids AND an adult connection to the outside world. Fourth, we like to make super-cute awareness pictures AND videos!
4. “Wait!! I should TOtallY make some CHD awareness facebook images for CHD awareness week (Feb 7th-14th)”:
   
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6. “I need a few quick images for some CHD awareness articles”:
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8. “Birthday Party Invitations!!”  - How easy is that!  Plus I just print them out in black and white and let my kids color/highlight the invites until they’re happy with them.  I have 5 kids.    The kids pass out the paper invites, and I email/facebook msg a few. This is perfect.
9. “How did I get this far without doing pictures of the twins??”:
10. “I better go fill out the contest rules on facebook so you can win a free copy”

Good luck!!

(See Normal Heart Image for comparison)

Click image to see download options from Flickr:

• ascending Aortic Aneurysm [ascending=going up, aorta=main vessel carrying oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the body] an abnormal widening or ballooning of a portion of the aorta due to weakness in the wall of the blood vessel.
• Bicuspid Aortic Valve [aortic=the main artery leaving the heart, bi=two, cusps=the parts of a heart valve that can open and close] – a heart defect where 2 of the 3 cusps of the aortic valve are fused together. This lessens the amount of blood that can fit through the valve because the valve can’t open all the way.

(See Normal Heart Image for comparison)

Click image to see download options from Flickr:

• Double Outlet Right Ventricle (DORV) [outlet=passage for exit, ventricles=lower chambers of the heart] – both vessels (aorta & pulmonary artery) carrying blood away from the heart come out of the right ventricle. (Normally the aorta carries oxygen-rich blood from the left ventricle and the pulmonary artery carries oxygen-poor blood from the right ventricle).
• Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA) [transposition=switch the order, great arteries=the aorta & the pulmonary artery] – the positions of the great vessels are switched so that the aorta (which carries oxygen-rich blood to the body) is closer to the oxygen-poor blood AND the pulmonary artery (which carries oxygen-poor blood to the lungs) is closer to the oxygen-rich blood.  It is usually accompanied by a hole in the wall between the ventricles (ventricular septal defect or VSD).
• Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) [septum=wall between the chambers of the heart, ventricles=lower chambers of the heart] – holes in the inner walls of the heart allowing extra blood flow between the two lower chambers of the heart (ventricles). This causes the oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood to mix before leaving the heart.